Shootin' some more froots.

Here are three more froot-shoots; strange fruits, I might add. 

Kiwano Melon

Often times referred to as blowfish fruit, this fruit is super funky and difficult to enjoy, but yummy nonetheless.  Similar to the way you eat a pomegranate - seed by messy seed, spitting out each pit - it takes a while to eat a Kiwano Melon.  You cut the fruit in half (hamburger), and then suck out some seed pods. The seeds are surrounded by a gel-capsule-of-sorts that slimes its way around your mouth until you separate it from the flimsy little seed inside.  You can either spit the seed out or swallow it.   
Native to Africa, but grown now in California, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, this fruit (to me) tasted like a combination of cucumber and banana. 
Fun fact ::  Along with the Gemsbok Cucumber, the Kiwano Melon is the only source of water during the dry season in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. 
Source :: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumis_metuliferus and my brain.

Dragonfruit

Probably Khaleesi's favorite, Dragonfruit is one of the prettiest fruits both inside and out. However, this does NOT mean it tastes good.  These fruits grow from flowers on Pitaya Cacti, and come in three common varieties :: white-fleshed, red-fleshed or yellow. These cacti grow in hot and dry areas, and cannot withstand cold temperatures. 
The flesh is often likened to kiwi because of the small, crunchy black seeds, however the taste is like a very very bland melon.  I've had this one before; didn't like the first time, thought I'd give it another shot, still didn't like it. Sorry, Khaleesi, your fruit is no good.
Fun fact :: Dragonfruit can weigh from 0.3 to 1.5 pounds; some may reach 2.25 pounds.
Source :: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya and my brain.

Rambutan



These guys look creepy, I know, but they are delicious. The word "Rambutan" in the Malay/Indonesian language means "hairy."  You can find these fruits growing on trees in Indonesia and Malaysia and Southeast Asia.  Having only longer spines, or "hairs," rambutan are very similar in appearance and taste to lychee. 
To enjoy a rambutan, break the outer skin with your fingernail (or with a knife if your fingernails seem to frequently disappear like mine c: ) and peel away that crazy outer shell.  Imagine that you peeled all the skin off of a grape, and that the grape is white. This is what awaits you inside that weird hairy shell.  Also, there is a giant seed in the middle of that not-grape, so don't just pop it into your mouth.  
Fun fact :: A yellow variety of Rambutan grows in Costa Rica, and is often referred to as "Wild Rambutan."
Source :: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambutan and my brain.

That's all folks! I've got a busy busy couple of weeks coming up, so I don't know when you'll next hear from me. c:

Thanks for reading,
A

Where have you BEEN, Amanda??

I have been so stinkin' busy since my last post!  As the job search continues, as does my semi-unemployment.  I took an off-and-on summer nanny position that calls for 11 hours of my day.  That took up 3 weeks in May and this past week.

So what about June, hmmm?  In June, I worked for a Chicago-based gift and decor company called Enesco.  I have been working as a freelance designer for them since May, sending in sketch concepts of merchandising displays to one supervisor, and new-product packaging and displayers to another.  In June, however, I worked alongside four other designers at the Enesco showroom in America's Mart in downtown Atlanta.  We worked to create displays in a showroom FULL of brands like GUND, Foundations, Jim Shore, Vera, and new brands Cuipo and Happy Place.  Below is a picture I found on Enesco's Facebook page of the Happy Place display that I put together.

The idea behind these displays is to help a buyer envision the way that a certain brand could look in their store - to have that vision look so awesome and cutting-edge that they just HAVE to have it. America's Mart is the market to shop new merchandise and apparel in the southeast, and I feel very lucky to have had the month-long opportunity. 

I'll keep this post short and sweet, but I am going to leave you with two Froot-Shoots that I shot back in May.  There has been quite the delay in posting them! Behold, Mango and Pineapple.  (Pineapple may be my favorite layout thus far.)

Thanks for keeping up!
A   :)

A Birthday Party

As promised long ago, here are the long-awaited pictures of baby Ward's 1st birthday.

  

There was a "red wagon" theme.  It was adorable.

Little ones were all over the place.

It was a big weekend of reunions and anniversaries as well.

Mom got all her decorations from an awesome Etsy shop.

Look at him just workin' that camera.

The big sister, runnin' the show with lollipop in-hand.

We had quite a little photo-shoot with the balloons.

What a cutey-patootie.

Baby blues   c:

And, of course, there was traditional, messy cake-smashing!

Until next time. And as always, thanks for reading,

A

Coming Soon :: A Birthday Party

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Portfolio, Photography and Resume|Bio tabs.]

This past weekend, before high-tailing it down to Auburn University for one last roll of The Oaks, I shot pictures for a cute little 1st birthday party.  Here is a little preview of my next post.

One of my previous shots of little Ward was used on this very well-designed invitation; I was so flattered! [For privacy, I had to butcher the invitation a little, but the general idea is there.]

This is the first time I've specifically taken pictures of little babies.  Let me tell you,  it makes for some ridiculously big smiles on my face while editing.  :)

Stay tuned for more in about a week!

A

Fruit Dissections :: Some more.

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Portfolio, Photography and Resume/Bio tabs.]

Here are my latest installments to the Fruit Dissection Collection.  This week's Fruit-Shoot consisted of some funky fruits!  My roommate discovered a really awesome farmer's market (Buford Hwy Farmer's Market in Doraville, GA), so we went to check it out last weekend.  

It is a GIANT market with shelves upon shelves of foreign, exotic foods.  There was a Hispanic section, an Eastern European section, an Asian section, and SUPER fresh seafood (stinky!) and produce; not to mention, spices galore and an organic-health-nut section. 

Since we had never heard of this first fruit, here are some Wiki tidbits in case you haven't either.  

 The Cherimoya (also spelled Chirimoya) is native to the Andes, and can be found in Southern regions of Central and South America, South Asia and Southern California.  The fruit grows on small trees and reaches sizes between 7-15 cm long.  It is ripe when the skin is green and gives slightly to pressure, similar to an avocado. (I know this because I eat avocado now.)

The name originates from the Quechua word "chirimuya," meaning "cold seeds" because the seeds will germinate at higher altitudes.  These are REALLY big, dark seeds that are easy to remove, but there are a ton of them.  The flesh of the fruit is a creamy-white color with a mango-like texture.  There are a lot of opinions on the taste; I thought it was like a pineapple-banana mix.  Others say it tastes like a blend of papaya and peach as well or, strangely, commercial bubblegum. 

Note :: the seeds are poisonous if crushed open. Don't chew on them.  Also, extracts from the cherimoya's tree-bark can induce paralysis if injected into the blood-stream.  Who knew? 

Mark Twain called the Cherimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men."

Red Plum.

Blood Orange.

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Spring day!

A

Ounces and Cups and Spoons

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio, Photography or Resume/Bio tabs.]

April is here! Hopefully you all didn't fall for any ridiculously obvious April Fool's jokes. (I know I did :: Google Nose posting before US midnight - C'MON!)

Today's post is short an' sweet.  

I have seen a few graphically pleasing kitchen conversion charts, and decided to tweak one of my favorites to make it my own.  I call it "Ounces and Cups and Spoons."  Take a gander below, and let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for reading!

A

Fruit Dissections :: An On-Going Project

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio, Photography and Resume/Bio tabs.]  

March has come and gone quickly, and I've been busy busy.  Since my last post, I have been doing approximately one fruit-shoot a week.  

Fruit-shoot (/fro͞ot - SHo͞ot/) noun :: Amanda's term for a photo-shoot during which one dissects various fruits through photographic analysis.  This process often advances to hours of editing in Photoshop followed by photo-selection before creating a graphically-pleasing collage in InDesign.

This post isn't quite as complete as I had imagined it being, but I didn't want to not have any posts for the month.  Consider this an on-going project, and I will be uploading more as I have time. Enjoy! [Click thumbnails to view full-screen.]

Banana.

 

 Apple.

 

 

 Strawberry.

 

 Kiwi.

 

Keep posted either here or on my Flickr page for more! I've got pomegranate and blood orange up to bat. c:

Thanks for reading!

A